Hong Kong: Between Democracy and Autocracy01/15/2015Raluca Batanoiu reviews the issues and events around Hong Kong's "umbrella revolution", as last years student-led pro-democracy demonstrations have been called, and considers their implications for Beijing.

Following the demise of the cold war in 1990s, the United States emerged as the world’s leading power in the international system. This supremacy is partly supported by the global recognition of United States’ position as the most powerful nation on earth. America’s global supremacy is also anchored on the centrality of its role in global politics and its tremendous influence on the geopolitics of the international system. By referring to the U.S. as the world’s super power, there is an implied relational reference and positioning of the United States as the center piece of the international system. It is perceived as the grandmaster of international affairs. This paper examines the supremacy of the United States in the new world order. It argues that as a post-cold war super power, the U.S. has significant influence on global political and developmental relations that characterize the ideologically unstable and anarchic international system. The paper explores the contradictions that arise from the efforts of the U.S. to pursue common good using its military power in the attempts to restore sanity in the international system. It concludes that by climbing to the apex of the world’s top power seat, the U.S. earned itself the image of an empire builder that is assumed to have imperialistic tendencies rather than a respected overseer of the international system.

Reconstructing the Notion of Youth 06/01/2012Youth are variously described as the hope and future of our species or the most irresponsible and potentially violent of our kind. Unfortunately, it seems as though this later view has gained ground among certain social critics who see a large youth populations as potentially destabilizing to society. As Shahbaz Israr Khan argues, it's time to reconstruct our notion of "youth".

Progress Can Prevail in El Salvador05/08/2012Last month, Paula LeRoy's article "Violence and Poverty Entangled in El Salvador" described the many interlocking challenges to peace and prosperity in the country. This article offers an inspiring range of potential solutions and practical ideas for how those challenges an be overcome.

Violence and Poverty Entangled in El Salvador04/16/2012In the first of a two-part series, researcher Paula LeRoy discusses several ways in which poverty and violence interact in El Salvador. Of particular emphasis in this analysis is the inadequate fulfilment of the 1992 Peace Accords. The companion article (forthcoming) will assess the viability of potential responses to the issues discussed here.

Transitional Justice in Burundi: Expectations and Concerns02/22/2012Vital Nshimirimana discusses the transitional justice process as planned by the government of Burundi for 2012. He argues that issues including ongoing insecurity, human rights abuses, lack of dialogue and trust among social partners, as well as lack of rule of law will undermine the process.

South Sudan’s Post-Independence Challenges: Greed or Grievance?01/04/2012It is now eight months since South Sudan joined the family of nations as a newly independent state. However, as the South Sudanese struggle to find their bearings in a very unpredictable world, compounding challenges seems to be wearing heavily on them. Elizabeth Tesfaye Haile takes stock of how some of these challenges are redefining South Sudan’s dynamics, inquiring as to whether it is greed or grievance at the heart of the simmering tensions.

Horn of Africa Hunger Crisis: Why the Politics of Applying Bandages Hasn’t Stopped the Bleeding08/01/2011Across the Horn of Africa, between 10 and 12 million people are now affected by the worst drought in more than 60 years. As respective nations come together and the international community gets summoned to help, Patrick Mugo Mugo investigates: What is being done? Why have the leaders in the Horn of Africa yet again failed their people so miserably? Why has the UN’s global blueprint of weaning populations off humanitarian assistance been unsuccessful? And above all, are the right questions being asked?

People Power: Between Reality and Conjecture07/05/2011The successful overthrow of unpopular regimes in many political communities through popular uprising is often adduced as evidence of the potency of people power. Oftentimes, such changes have occurred without any real social transformation. Alozieuwa argues that a change in the political leadership without corresponding takeover of the mantle exposes the contradiction in the concept of people power as a catalyst for social transformation. Alozieuwa concludes that the people, in addition to stimulating the change, must be able to take over power in order to institute the desired social order. Absence of a coherent strategy has often hindered this.

The Conflict in Chechnya: Confronting the Threat of State Disintegration and the Right to Self-Determination09/06/2010This article focuses on the right of the Chechen people to self determination. It examines the legitimacy of the Chechens’ claim to self determination and assesses the policy actions of the Russian government toward the minority populations of the Caucasus. It also assesses the various aspects related to the legitimacy of the movements that fight for self-determination in the context of the global war on terror as well as the problem of violations of minority group rights. The author argues that current policies of the Russian government in the Caucasus do not lay the foundation for the long-lasting peace and stability in the region and are, in large part, conducive to the continuation of separatist tendencies.

Politics of Transitional Justice Mechanisms from Below: The Case of Somaliland 07/04/2010This paper will discuss how the design and discourse of transitional justice mechanisms- which include and take into account the views and needs of civil society and affected communities- boost the legitimacy of the transitional process and the prospects for reconciliation. This process could be described as the politics of transitional justice mechanisms from below. The paper will focus on the Somaliland situation as a case study. The paper will explain both the Somaliland alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism and transitional justice as well as analyze in detail how the indigenous ADR mechanism has been used as tool for political transitional justice during the reconciliation period. Lessons learned from the Somaliland reconciliation process will be briefly explained and some critiques and pitfalls of transitional justice in Somaliland will be raised. Finally, the paper will conclude with some recommendations and observations about the usefulness of the traditional and indigenous ADR systems as reference examples for political transitional justice in similar situations around the world.

Pragmatism and Integration for Central America’s Economic Future: Exercising Freedom of Choice06/01/2010Urging pragmatism toward advantageous relations and sustainable fair trade practices with new economic allies while targeting equitable domestic development strategies, this piece identifies key policy areas where Central America is set to benefit most from its strategic positioning in the Americas and within the wider global economy. In light of the economic shortcomings and detrimental social implications associated with free trade agreements and historical dependency on the United States, this set of policy recommendations seeks a new approach. In short, Central American leaders, while eager at the opportunities, must practice caution in opening to new markets in China and Europe, while at the same time strengthening regional integration within Central America and with the rest of Latin America through bilateral and multilateral approaches geared toward diversification, wealth redistribution and economic growth with sustainable social equity.

Climate Change and Food Security in Peru05/03/2010This paper reviews the current state of affairs of food security in Peru and discusses how Climate Change may be a threat in the short term, especially for rural farmers.

Biological Determinism: Gender and Peace in the Contemporary British Context04/07/2010This article explores contemporary British gender relations as premised upon biological determinism. Through an analysis of the definitions of peace and violence, the link between gender relations and peace are exposed. Gender is problematised by exploring the way that scientific knowledge constructs and reinforces dichotomies of man and woman. Through a gendered analysis of contemporary British gender relations I argue that questions of gender relations are externalised and ignored. I propose that we, my generation of young men and women, need to engage creatively with our gendered identities in order to seek a more peaceful existence.

Electoral Violence in Nigeria: Implications for Security, Peace and Development03/05/2010Election violence has remained a feature on Nigeria’s political landscape, and a review of the problem suggests a number of reasons. This article identifies poverty, a culture of impunity, weak penalties, a lack of effective governance, and small arms proliferation, amongst others. It also looks at the effects of instability and violence in Nigerian society and proffers a number of solutions ranging from sustainable development, security sector and electoral reforms, and anti-corruption measures.

Harnessing Youth Power for Peace: A Perspective from Russia02/02/2010The energy of youth is largely responsible for powering violent conflict, as well as social movements for positive social change. As Dr Jatinder Khanna shows, the application of youthful energy to intercultural peace programs and political activism are essential for peacebuilding in Russia and elsewhere.

History Repeats Itself? Costa Rican History Applied to the Honduran Conflict10/06/2009Whether or not the present Honduran interim government will be fully recognized by the international community remains to be seen. For the time being, however, states must still decide when and how to conduct relations with the military-appointed government, balancing concerns for pressing international issues with the expected validity and permanence of agreements made with that entity. In making such calculations, states must consider the legal status of that government as the valid representative of the Honduran State in international law. Status under law helps define how a state, and therefore its treaties, agreements and contracts, will be treated in courts, tribunals and organizations abroad. This essay uses the legal issues presented in a similar historical case, the 1923 Tinoco Arbitration between Great Britain and Costa Rica. George McGraw analyzes Honduras’ current status in international law. He argues through the application of basic international legal principles such as state continuity, effectivity, and de facto vs. de jure legitimacy. According to the author, this essay hopes to contribute to the current dialogue concerning the transitioning state.

New People's Army and the Philippines: No end in sight?09/04/2009Noriko Hashimoto discusses the prolonged conflict between the government of the Philippines and the communist rebel group, New People's Army. After giving an overview of the long and tragic history, focusing primarily on the presidencies of Ramos and Arroyo, Hashimoto looks to the underlying factors of poverty and land distribution, and the potential for a negotiated peace.

Globalization and Identity Mobilization in Nigeria: Muslim and Christian Youth Violence in the 1990s04/01/2009Nigerian youth were directly responsible for most of the violent conflicts that straddled the socio-political life of Nigeria in the 90s. This can be partially explained by the argument that the search for economic relevance made Nigerian youth the carriers of violent identities. As such, youth were instruments that were used to transform the social structure from what it was to what it is.

This paper is a discussion of youth and religious identity in Nigeria, and it is premised on the fact that the breakdown of the state and its capacity to arrest the declining fortune of the economy gave rise to a very religious youth who, across religious barriers, saw no other means of becoming politically active than becoming religiously active. For Nigerian youths of the 90s, therefore, there was a close relationship between political and religious processes, ultimately encouraging their participation in the violence of the era.

Security and Economic Development: Masculinized Goals for Post-Conflict Reconstruction03/09/2009The end of an armed conflict is the starting moment of a new period that creates space for transforming institutions, structures and relationships within society. In such historical moments the actors of peace negotiations and peace building processes have the window of chance and responsibility to create a new society based on gender equality. However, in what Cynthia Enloe calls“the morning after”, when the guns are silent, the persistent militarization and promotion of masculinity continue in postwar societies, in both the public and private sphere. This paper will attempt to track such political processes and identify the tools and factors contributing to militarization and masculinization in post conflict societies. Moreover, this paper will highlight reasons for failing to consolidate women’s gains deriving from their war-time experience and to promote gender equality in peace building processes.

Rethinking the Administration and Delivery of Foreign Aid in Cambodia 02/05/2009The government of Cambodia has received foreign development aid in abundance for many years, largely contributed by a number of international aid organizations and donor states such as World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, Official Development Assistance (ODA), and Japanese as well as Chinese governments.

Unfortunately, this aid has not served as a constructive engine to promote economic growth and development, and has not provided tangible benefits for the targeted population, the poor and the vulnerable, in the country.

This article, therefore, presents some specific reasons for the poor management and ineffective delivery of foreign aid in the nation, and offers some viable and practical mechanisms of how foreign aid should be properly administered and distributed in Cambodian society.

Challenges to Peace in Cambodia11/12/2008This article addresses the main challenges to the emergence of the positive or durable peace in Cambodia. The challenges embrace poor governance accompanied by ineffective enforcement of the Constitutional Laws, deep-rooted corruption alongside economic instability and poverty, and social injustice and inequity and widespread human rights violations. The recommendations corresponding to the aforementioned hindrances also deserve priority attention at the end of this article.

Key Challenges to Peace in Camaroon06/03/2008Camaroon is a nation of great promise for peace and stability. As Golda Keng explains, this promise is threatened by inequalities and ethnic tensions, many of which are rooted in the country's colonial history.

Gender and Peacekeeping: a few challenges04/23/2008Drawing on her extensive experience with UN peacekeeping operations, including serving as Senior Gender Advisor for MINUSTAH, Nadine Puechguirbal discusses some of the ongoing challenges to gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping missions, and ultimately, the creation of a more just society.

Hopes and Challenges Facing Emerging Democracies in Africa and Asia02/01/2008The best hope for a peaceful world where fundamental human rights are respected is for democracy to ultimately triumph in fractured societies. However, for that to happen, certain preconditions must be established including the rule of law, an independent judiciary and media, a culture that begins to ferociously resists corruption and the establishment of truly independent organs of government that can ensure a fair democratic processes.

From Conflict to Coexistence - An Intervention Model03/23/2007Ssentongo and Raalten propose a Conflict Intervention Model to diagram conflict in its general sense. While the model is based on the idea that structural and psycho-cultural approaches are foundational to resolution, it simplifies the process by utilizing John Paul Lederach's pyramid on leadership.